Telescope Peak is already pretty well melted out. Folks have been going up for 3 weeks now. Beautiful hike! And bonus, the road up to Mahogany Flat was regraded last Fall, so even a lowly passenger car can make it up to the trailhead! (One or two significant rains, and the road condition will change ... or even a bunch of 4wd vehicles using too much power.)

Charleston still has a little snow on the South Loop: the last half mile to Griffith Pass is messy postholing. Someone needs to go up with snowshoes and beat out that last section. Beyond the pass it is easy going.

Do it!! I would suggest going from Maghony rather than the Basin due to the extreme heat during that time of the year. Did the Magohny hike last March and there was zero snow until we got about 1.5 miles from the summit, then it was knee deep. We had no crampons but did have treking poles which helped a lot. The last few miles are filled with a ton of switchbacks. It may be just a hike but I would say that it is a difficult one at that. It's not like you're hiking on flat ground for 14 miles. Road up to Maghony is good, I have a Honda Element and had no problem getting there. The best thing to do is camp out at Maghony get up early tackle the Peak and enjoy the day. You can also hit Rogers and Bennett Peaks on the way with a slight detour for each peak. We skipped them because we were crunched for time. It was a great hike and you should conquer it while your in the surronding area for sure. Below is my trip report, enjoy!!

http://www.summitpost.org/telescope-peak/782804

> Charleston still has a little snow on the South Loop: the last half mile to Griffith Pass is messy postholing.

North loop is clear up to the Kyle Canyon rim then patchy snow until Devils Thumb.

There's still snow in the avalanche chutes on the face of Charleston- figure another week or two till those are gone.
(There were footprints of someone having risked a crossing, but they were dicier than I felt comfortable with)

Has anyone seen Telescope Peak in recent days? Heading up to summit on 5/26, weather is looking clear and good, but curious as to any remaining snow from spring?

I saw it from NV this last Saturday -- from there it looked snow-free, but then I was probably at least 100 miles away.

cparkes wrote:Has anyone seen Telescope Peak in recent days? Heading up to summit on 5/26, weather is looking clear and good, but curious as to any remaining snow from spring?

Post up on conditions if you go. I'll probably be hiking it next Thursday or Friday. I wouldn't expect any issues this time of the year (snow, road washed out, etc). Maybe a little warm during the day (70-80F), but that's normal in late spring.

In 40 years of mountaineering on 3 continents the most severe wind conditions I have ever encountered was on the trail from Mahogany Flat to Telescope Peak. It was the only time I literally had to crawl to avoid being blown over. Ironically, upon finally reaching the summit, which is supposed to have an extensive view, visibility was about 100 yards. To add insult to injury, back at Mahogany Flat, my last Watneys Ale was shot across the campground by a particularly viscous gust of wind.

Will post conditions. Thanks, all. Sierraman, we tried this hike last year, same time, clear & no wind when we went to bed THEN 6 inches of snow, whiteout and windy when we woke up at 5 am. Had to hussle down the hill to avoid getting marooned up there. pretty crazy. fingers crossed for good weather in 2013.

May has varied between hot, warm, windy, stormy, and cool. Given the low snow year, long days, lack of consistently freezing temps, and intense May sun, I'd be surprised if y'all find snow worth mentioning on your planned hiking days. Forecasts are calling for 50s and 60s as highs and 30s to 40s for lows at high elevations with some wind, but no extreme winds forecasted yet.

I climbed telescope peak from mahogony flats may 14.

started at 8am, returned to camp at 2pm. no snow whatsoever. perfect conditions. an easy(er) hike - only saying that because I did whitney a few days after.. toughest parts are the first third and the last third.. just a bunch of switchbacks.

i always find the first few miles of a hike the toughest.. once you hit a rhythm and adjust it's easier.. pretty much the same here.

A very beautiful hike and well worth it.

Here is a panorama I took at the summit:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/11472163548 ... 3rgQbyE7KE